


What makes a King?

by RockNoir



Category: Aladdin (1992), Aladdin (2019)
Genre: Aladdin also really loves his wife, Aladdin’s mild case of anxiety, F/M, Fluff, no real plot just an excuse for fluff, with a side of Badass Jasmine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 00:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockNoir/pseuds/RockNoir
Summary: During a meeting with the prince of a neighboring country, Aladdin realizes two things.1. he really loves his wife2. he’s not the best at being king





	What makes a King?

**Author's Note:**

> this is just smth rly short I wanted to write it has no real plot
> 
> I tried my best to edit but there might be mistakes still

It’s supposed to be a simple diplomatic meeting, about a river, or something like that.

Aladdin’s lost track of the conversation several times. They’re not here to talk to him, anyways. They’re here to talk to Jasmine. Every diplomat who comes to the palace is.

Aladdin’s just here to look pretty, and to direct any and all attention to his wife when it comes to political choices. It’s _her_ decisions that matter.

The conversation has drawn on for much longer than he’d anticipated, and, if he’d been paying attention, he probably would have caught on to the fact that the prince of the neighboring country to the south (or was it the west?) and Jasmine had gotten off track from the initial conversation, even dropped the formalities. That was fine, though.

From what he had picked up when he was paying attention, he gathered that the Prince was only asking for permission to use one of the rivers in Agrabah as a temporary water source. A ship wrecked in their port (with no casualties, thankfully), and with high winds and strong currents, pieces of the wrecked ship and whatever cargo was unable to be saved had been swept in to the mouth of one of the country’s rivers and created a blockage. The affected city was close enough to Agrabah that the villagers could cross border lines and take from a nearby river in Agrabah, at least until the blockage was cleared, but the prince wanted the Sultan’s permission first. No need to be mistaken for an invasion.

“May I ask for the king’s input as well?” The prince asks, when the conversation finds its way back to it’s initial topic. And Aladdin’s too caught up in staring at the way the heavy curtains that hang from the ceiling are slowly billowing from the ocean breeze making its way through the open lobby of the palace, thinking about absolutely nothing. He doesn’t realize the others are looking at him until he feels Abu patting his face with tiny hands.

“Huh?” He look between Jasmine the allied prince of—what country was it again?—big doe eyes ridden with awkward confusion. “What did you need?”

“I just—I wanted to make sure that it was okay with the both of you—“ the prince stammers, “If it’s too much, we can find another solution—“

“I get a say so? I mean—Oh, uh—Of course! I think…” Aladdin looks over to Jasmine, awkward smile plastered on his face, as if that could cover up the fact that he hadn’t been paying attention at all, “Right?”

Before the tension can get any more awkward, Jasmine takes the steers and redirects the conversation between her and the prince.

“Like I said, it is not a problem for Agrabah to share what we have. I believe in helping others, no human deserves to suffer or make do with what they can when it comes to such a basic need, regardless of the histories of both of our countries.”

Once Aladdin’s safe and sure they won’t try talking to him again, he allows his mind to wander.

He’s not used to people asking what he wants. He’s not used to people talking to him in a tone that isn’t full of disgust, disbelief, or disrespect. He’s certainly not used to being called a king as opposed to a street rat. Of course, he’d take living in the palace and wearing clothes that don’t have yesterday’s rips and blood stains on them over stealing to survive and being regarded as a menace, but it still doesn’t feel completely right.

What did he do to deserve it other than be the first person that Jasmine actually talked to? He’s just a man, and she…

Well she’s everything he couldn’t even dream about wanting.

As he dwells this over in his mind, he can’t help but look at her. There’s an orange glow coming in from the open doorway of the balcony, from the sun beginning it’s slow decent in the sky, and it shines perfectly on her. It brings out the brown in her skin, reflects perfectly in the irises of her big, dark eyes, and highlights the edges of her long hair. With each feature he takes in, his heart speeds up in his chest, faster and faster until he finds himself having to manually breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Slowly and not in a way that makes him seem like he’s suffering from a silent heart attack.

Oh, he loves her _so_ much.

His giddy staring session only comes to an end when she elbows him in the ribs, pulling him out of his trance so he can bid the prince farewell.

“Say goodbye to the prince,” she whispers, quiet enough for only him to hear.

“Oh!” He gives the prince a clumsy bow, and wishes him a safe journey home, and then the two of them are alone.

“Aladdin.”

The sheepish, awkward smile returns. “I tried this time.”

“No,” Jasmine says, putting her hands on his shoulders. He’s shorter than her, and she tilts her head down just a slight to look him in the eyes. “You didn’t. You’re the king now, people are going to want your input and opinions and you have to pay attention.”

“I’m sorry,” he leans forward, tucking his head down to rest it against her collar bone, “Maybe…maybe I’m just not cut out for this.”

“What do you mean?” She brings a hand up, fingers slipping in to the hair at the base of his skull, delivering soothing scratches.

“I’m not exactly used to people asking what I want. I’m not used to having a say so in anything that doesn’t involve myself and my own direct actions, it’s…it’s just…I don’t know if I’ll ever be used to it. But it makes me feel like maybe I’m not the best choice to be the King of Agrabah.”

“You can grow and learn,” she reassures, pressing a kiss to his temple, “But I didn’t marry you because I thought you would be the king I needed. I married you because I love you.”

“Even when I’m embarrassing you and the entire rest of the kingdom?”

“Even when you’re embarrassing me and the entire rest of the kingdom,” she says teasingly, pulling back so she can see his face. “And when you’re unsure of how to be a king. And when you’re struggling to adjust to palace life. And, yes, even when you’re staring off in to nothingness thinking about who knows what.”

“I was thinking about you.” He reaches for her hands, taking both of them in his own. “I’m always thinking about you.”

“Am I that distracting?”

“Yes. I mean—no! I mean, well…I just love you.” His signature charming smile appears for a brief second, before it fades away, consumed by a sorry emotion, and he looks away, though he’s still gently holding her hands. “I don’t mean to get distracted or seem like I’m not paying attention. I’m sorry—“

“Stop apologizing. You’ve already explained yourself, and it’s okay. No one expects you to be perfect, Aladdin. Just be yourself, and you’ll learn along the way. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” He looks back at her, uneasiness fading away, shoulder relaxing. “Now you’re using my own tactics against me.”

“Well?”

“I trust you,” he brings her hands up, giving each a kiss. “I always do.”

She never doubted that he did, but it was always comforting to hear it from his own lips.

She ends the conversation with a soft kiss to the forehead, then takes his hand as she leads him up the golden staircase and away. He’s got a lot to learn about having a royal status.

Being king goes a lot deeper than being the Sultan’s husband, and even though she definitely could run the entire country of Agrabah on her own, she’d rather have Aladdin by her side.

**Author's Note:**

> as much as i’d love to write a full length fic I don’t have the patience so i’ll Just write small nonsensical ficlets for now


End file.
